The annual Steam summer sale is here, ready to pillage your credit card account. It’s joined by a veritable cacophony of other sales from vendors like Good old Games, Humble Bundle, PSN and everywhere else. They allow gamers to pick up great games at ludicrous discounts, sometimes reaching 90% off of the sticker price. Are these sales actually devaluing games?
It could be doing so on two fronts. Not only do gamers expect to pay less for their games as a result of these sales, but they tend to care less about those games as a result of picking them up so cheaply. I’m sure every one of you with a gaming PC has a ludicrously large backlog of games that you acquired on the cheap, that you couldn’t be arsed to actually get around to playing – because you picked them up for next to nothing.
With regards to the cheapening of games and devaluing their brands, it was actually GoG’s Marcin Iwinski who called out the practise of discounting games too much.
Selling games at too high a discount – one often sees discounts above 80% off here and there -sends a message to gamers: this game, simply put, isn’t worth very much. Of course you make thousands and thousands of sales of a game when it’s that cheap, but you’re damaging the long-term value of your brand because people will just wait for the next insane sale. Slashing the price of your game is easy. Improving the content of your offer when you release your game, that’s more ambitious.
And it seems that the games with the highest percentage of not being played are those that have been sold through Steam Sales at dumping prices.
There’s no denying that these sales are a great way to refine your skills at being a patient, cheap bastard. Do you think though, that they’re actually devaluing games?
Last Updated: June 20, 2014
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:33
No.
Games are being “devalued” (but still sold at a premium) by these dumbasses who ship them before they are actually complete.
But before all that, lemme take another selfie
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:35
Also, I CHERISH some games I picked up on special. Since I would have normally given them a skip (the Randela being as it is, and my salary being as it is), I’m so glad for being able to partake in the awesomeness! My backlog is what it is merely because of the bundles, but the sales, like now, is a brilliant thing
CAE9872
June 20, 2014 at 10:38
Yip I have picked up some games on a sale and uncovered a small gem others thought was not so good. Heck I rarely buy a game at full price if I can help it and typically wait for all games to come down (but that is because I have a big backlog/collection). And NONE of them are devalued as they all my babies.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:39
ALL are my precious!!!!!
I’d MUCH prefer to buy a physical collectors ed for each of them, should I have the moolah
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 12:52
Completely agree. Take The Cave for instance, it has a horrible score on metacritic. Yet I bought it on special and loved it! If i pay full price the game would need a 90+ rating for me to make a safe bet.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:36
Wise words:
“Improving the content of your offer when you release your game, that’s more ambitious”
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 10:38
I know a lot of people argue that they do, but sales make up for a huge crop of gamer’s only means of getting their hands on items they want, but couldn’t afford to buy earlier or didn’t feel was worth buying at full price.
I buy many games at full price because I feel that they’re worth it, but others I just never will. I read a few reviews, check online what people are saying and then make a conscious decision whether the publisher is trying to sell you something “AAA” that’s way below average, at a AAA price, or whether it’s a properly good game.
Some indie games I would’ve paid more for than what I needed to and some “AAA” games were so way beyond what they’re worth that I’m willing to wait over a year before acquiring them.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:39
“I buy many games at full price”
Scrooge McJJ
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 10:40
Haha. Come now. You know very well those are 80% indie games, so full price isn’t very high.
CAE9872
June 20, 2014 at 10:39
Agreed – I would happily have paid full price for Resogun; but not Amazing Spider-Man 2 (which I hear is atrocious) and is being pawned off as a AAA game!
Weanerdog
June 20, 2014 at 13:14
Why are movie tie ins always rubbish. Is it because it sells anyway regardless of how crap it is. You think that the studios would punish developers who make crap games based on their IP but from all accounts they don’t care.
CAE9872
June 20, 2014 at 14:05
Unfortunately because it sells – look at the current US/UK sales chart and Amazing Spiderman 2 is up there in the top 10…and you ask yourself HOW!!!
And I am with you when it comes to brand – here we have companies that protect anything to do with their precious brand and then are quite happy to have a s**t game released which in my opinion devalues the brand enormously. But clearly I am wrong! Oh and money of course…
Weanerdog
June 20, 2014 at 16:13
Don’t know which is worse the Dicks who make it or the twits who buy it.
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 10:50
I agree in full! Also, an indie game full price is more than just worth it, you get a full game, without the expectation of a AAA title, which, let’s face it, is always disappointing, and you get to support people that love making games – usually part time aswell – and where theres passion….
Rince&exhale
June 20, 2014 at 10:41
Lulz, this was also a question last year 😛
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:42
Geoffus Block
Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim
June 20, 2014 at 10:50
Yeah, we’ve been doing FFD for over four years now. There will likely more than a few repeats. ;P
Rince&exhale
June 20, 2014 at 10:52
Nah, it’s still a good question, and I think each year the answers change too.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:58
Except you don’t change, still a dumbass
😛
😉
XD
Kensei Seraph
June 20, 2014 at 10:41
No.
I’ve bought a game on sale purely because it seemed interesting and was cheap.
I then discovered just how good it was and then recommended it to a friend who bought it at full price.
Without the sale they would not have sold either the discounted or full priced versions of the game leading to reduced profit.
Rince&exhale
June 20, 2014 at 10:42
Had a dev tweet that no it does not devalue but that it does affect sales over a certain time. I suppose it’s like making a risky investment. You release a game for $50 or whatever, and then pray that when the legendary sales kick off with your game 2-3 years down the line, you’ve had enough money to keep eating.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:07
I think most of the dev complaints about this I’ve read seem to be based on the idea that if only they sold the 10,000 copies during sale at full price, then they would have made $x more… all while ignoring that without the sale they probably wouldn’t have sold 1,000 copies. Which to me comes across as more of a whine than a valid complaint.
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:11
Digital sales is a completely different beast. I know our sales where I work are based on many different factors, but usually when it’s about trying to reach economies of scale you see the bigger markdowns.
Monado
June 20, 2014 at 10:42
Gamers devalue games regardless of sales. Viewing indie games as sub par experiences for example. Confused at the very notion of worth, we look to game length and visual fidelity to define what it means. A gamer that knows what good games are, would call Don’t Starve (under 5 dollars) a steal and I’m skeptical as to whether or not others would’ve bought it if it wasn’t on sale…We’re too boxed in our own preconceptions and ideals, too close-minded to try new experiences. It’s not just about content-creators creating better content, it’s about getting gamers to actually give a damn again about them
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 10:43
I think sales are also what’s fighting piracy, in some detached way. People rather wait a bit and buy on sale.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:45
Indeed
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 10:49
That’s a good point. Never thought of that.
R1ker
June 20, 2014 at 13:41
I fully agree with this as well.
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:45
Well tbh if the industry is so concerned about loosing money maybe they should look at their product? Most games these days sold at full price is what devalues the market. No one would pay full price for Spider Man 2 or some other shitty movie tie in game(except the Yanks), but they will for Witcher 3.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:46
I will pay R1k for that game, because:
1 – Awesome
2 – GG Devs
3 – Bewbs
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:52
XD
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 10:47
Yes.
I wouldn’t pay R20 for some “AAA” games, but for a gem like FTL I’d pay more than its marketed price of R150.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:47
EFFIN TEEE ELL
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:52
Same here
Jonah Cash
June 20, 2014 at 11:28
Same for me with the Ground Zeroes “game”, I will not pay R400 for what is a taste of a full game that I will have to pay for in any case!! But had they sold it at R200, I would be first in line…. So now I am waiting for to go on sale and I will get it in a heartbeat!!
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 11:30
Same here
R1ker
June 20, 2014 at 13:43
That is also why I waited for Arkham Origins to be on sale first. Wanted to jump the gun and immediately get it when it came out – then read the reviews and wisely decided to wait.
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 14:10
I could never imagine a average Batman game, live and learn I guess
Michael
June 20, 2014 at 10:45
No, I would not have bought these games are full price to begin with. That’s also the reason that most un-played games are the ones bought on sale.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:46
*at (games at full price)
😛
iAmWeasel
June 20, 2014 at 10:45
Of course its devaluing games.. most PC gamers barely buy new games these days.
Praise Lord GabeN
June 20, 2014 at 10:47
I don’t know if you got the memo but there is no second hand market for PC so all sales are new 😉 (At second hand prices)
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:48
Hahahaha, well said
iAmWeasel
June 20, 2014 at 10:48
I’m talking about buying new games as in new releases.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:48
Lord Gabe is just pulling your leg 😉
Praise Lord GabeN
June 20, 2014 at 10:46
No. Over saturation and unfinished games devalue games.
iAmWeasel
June 20, 2014 at 10:51
Maybe you have it the wrong way around.. games are over saturated and are unfinished because they have been devalued by the “perpetual sale”.
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 10:52
I don’t think anything justifies selling a game that doesn’t work properly.
FoxOneZA
June 20, 2014 at 10:46
Screw sales! I’m camping out freebies from PSN+, Games with Gold and now even Origin 😛
Praise Lord GabeN
June 20, 2014 at 10:48
Well games on PSN+ and XBL are not really free, you pay a monthly amount for them.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:49
XDXDXDXD
Monado
June 20, 2014 at 10:49
Yearly
EDIT: ANNUALLY
FoxOneZA
June 20, 2014 at 10:50
Yeah I know but I was just flame baiting hence the 😛
Praise Lord GabeN
June 20, 2014 at 10:50
Doh!
FoxOneZA
June 20, 2014 at 10:52
But you make a good point. Essentially Steam sales and PSN+, are both the same thing.
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:53
Still totally worth the asking price
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 10:48
I don’t think so. I’m far more inclined to see a game that’s priced very cheaply on release as being of “lesser” quality than a game that’s been discounted steeply months later.
Pricing is a difficult thing to get right & I think gamers have become a lot more cautious because gaming is a fairly expensive hobby – especially if you’re buying on release, followed by the inevitable DLC cycle. Also think devs need to understand that people often aren’t willing to spend $30 on an unknown, doesn’t matter that the dev thinks it’s worth that – he’s not the one buying it. Think the fact that there are so many games being released & available right now plays into it too.
You want me to plunk down my hard earned cash on day one you need to convince me that it’s worth my while. I’m prepared for spend a couple of k on a Witcher 3 collector’s edition because I think it’ll be great value for me – it’s got a ton of physical stuff, it won’t have DLC & it’ll be well supported by CDPR. I KNOW something from EA or Ubi will have a few months worth of DLC, that I don’t have to buy I know, but I still want it – so I’ll wait until it’s all released & it’s invariably discounted then. And that’s not even taking into account broken games.
Rince&exhale
June 20, 2014 at 10:53
Sexist bastard. But otherwise agree 🙂
ZombieDogma
June 20, 2014 at 10:48
I just find that I’m unwilling to pay the full price for games. R600 is too much money for me to justify. If Watch_Dogs doesn’t go on sale, I likely just wouldn’t buy it at all.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:49
Yeah man R600 is a crazy risk to take
ZombieDogma
June 20, 2014 at 10:51
It’s getting to console game prices. Honestly
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:53
Yeah, R800 is crazy
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 10:48
EA has devaluated more games by releasing them before being ready than any sale ever could
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:49
Amen
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:55
What about selling essentially the same sport game every year at full asking price and people gobbles that shit up.
CAE9872
June 20, 2014 at 11:01
Ahhh but that isn’t because of publisher or value of the game! That is us gamers who lap it all up – and I am as guilty as anyone (if they released a Halo game every year I would buy it in a heartbeat!).
And besides some of the very big hitters are not gamer games per se i.e. I know many people who play games provided it is defined as COD or FIFA, etc…and nothing else really. Those games are not necessarily bad value though.
*Walks off to play FIFA 14* 🙂
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 11:09
Not saying it’s bad value, I’m saying it essentially the same, every year, for full price, season pass not included.Even though the MP value alone for BF,FIFA and COD is beyond measure
Ryanza
June 20, 2014 at 10:51
Because of DRM on PC, you can not buy a game to test it out and then sell it if you don’t like it.
So people will pirate games or wait for dirt cheap Steam Sales before they can test out the games.
So DRM is more harmful to new games on the market.
Console games you can buy and sell and that’s why console game sales are so good when it comes to new games.
Don’t support DRM
Rags
June 20, 2014 at 10:53
You can test it through unpopular methods though ;P
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:58
I wonder why digital purchases can’t have a 30 day money back policy?
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 20, 2014 at 10:58
Yeah, like GOG
Rags
June 20, 2014 at 10:59
EA has 24 hours at least.
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:59
Take that long to download and install the game
Rags
June 20, 2014 at 11:01
Its from the first time you launch the game. So its quite fair 🙂
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:03
I had no idea about this.
My Origin would’ve been empty if I knew this.
Rags
June 20, 2014 at 11:05
lol 😀
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:05
Given, I don’t have many games on there. But SimCity is one of them.
Rags
June 20, 2014 at 11:07
Yeah that was a disappointing game. Open Transport Tycoon > * 😛
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:10
Haha. With ZERO IQ for the drivers
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 11:10
LOL okay
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:02
Technically GOG does, but only if you haven’t downloaded it. So only applies to impulse buys. Which kind of defeats the point.
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 11:06
Surely though if you are not happy with the game they must be able have a refund policy of some sort. The game client then basically removes access to the game and you get a refund. I mean it’s not impossible is it?
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:10
Well that wouldn’t work in their case. No client (yet!) just a downloadable installer without DRM so nothing to stop someone keeping the installer.
Plus we all know you’ll get someone who’ll play the game just fine then say they don’t like it to get a refund. Because people are dicks.
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 11:32
They are, maybe if the period was seven days or maybe even less than that. Or bring demos back?
Rags
June 20, 2014 at 10:51
Maybe. But my own experience: I got Sims 3, for like $5 with a ton of other games. Without it I would not have spent R500+ on dlc?
Also most of the games I purchase on steam special I would not have purchased otherwise.
But that has not stopped me from spending R2500+ on Star Citizen, more than double that on Mass Effect(including physical goods) and won’t stop me from buying good games at full price in the future.
Hammersteyn
June 20, 2014 at 10:52
Also what defines the value of a game, Play time? Budget? Graphics? Indie games has shown us that some of them has way more value than their AAA counterparts. I would rather pay the asking price of AC Marines when it came out for a game like Mercenary Kings. Yet we are constantly being lied to by the industry. E3 shows us shiny gameplay which we have then have to find out later is not in game at all. No one likes being lied to, no one. Then there are game like SimCity. EA tells us we have to be online all the time and to play it their way. The value of the SimCity name is now in the toilet. Too little to late did EA fold under pressure.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 10:55
Indies can be tricky as well. I really enjoyed Deadlight, but it only took 2 hours to finish & isn’t something you’ll really replay. Full retail price is (or was then) $15 – not worth that, but worth picking up for $5. For me anyway.
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 11:12
It all comes down to a ratio, what did you pay vs how much you enjoyed it, this is a very simplified ratio, but it bares the truth behind this whole debate, indie games are usually bargains with regards to this, but AAA titles…not so much…
derp
June 20, 2014 at 14:43
You can’t really beat good AAA titles.
e.g. I have hundreds of hours of absolute Mass Effecty bliss, no indy game can even come close to that.
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 15:15
That’s true in a sense, ME was awesome, but they are honestly few and far between, especially nowadays, Wertch dergs was supposed to be 35 hours of story….uhm, I’ve tried playing it as slowly as possible and still it couldn’t entertain me even half as much as ME….
derp
June 20, 2014 at 15:33
I didn’t really have high hopes for watch doges any way.
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 10:55
I bought a handful of games this year at full price and not a single one of them was a “AAA” game. It’s not the price, it’s the quality (not necessarily graphics) and how you can just FEEL when there’s something more than just money behind a project.
Dutch Matrix
June 20, 2014 at 11:06
No. The overall game experience is devaluing games.
FarCry 3 starts out a hoot. Then the game is relegated to hunting and crafting. Yes, the ungrateful island fuckers cannot craft you a better holster whilst you liberate yet another fucking camp from their mortal enemies/oppressors.
And what fucking bullet proof armour does the Wildebeest in that game wear? I empty an AK47 clip into one of those mothers and he head butts me right into FarCry 1!
So am I keen on handing over the R800.00+ FarCry 4 is going to require from me? Hell no.
Two years down the line, when it hits the budget/sale era of its life, the R99.99 price tag it will come with maybe will convince me.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
June 20, 2014 at 11:07
Nope! Any attempt to lessen the strain on my wallet gets a thumbs-up from me. However, the point was that sales “devalue” games, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The value of a game isn’t just it’s monetary value , it’s the community that gets build up around it, and if it’s a multiplayer game the resilience of its online fans to keep the servers running.
Sales add new faces to servers AND it keeps the community going. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that sales actually add value to games.
Brady miaau
June 20, 2014 at 11:14
guns don’t kill people, bullets do
sales do not devalue games, crap games devalue games. Crap games devalue not just one game, but other games in the genre as well, out of fear to buy full price and waste money
certain games I will never, ever buy normally, I have bought on sale and then not felt guilty for playing for a few hours, getting bored moving on, but was entertained for a few hours
Viking Of GabeN
June 20, 2014 at 11:14
Short answer No…. Most of the games I buy at discount prices, are ones that I Missed at launch. Some of them, looking back, I Would have paid full price at release…. But, Price drops are inevitable.
Example: I bought Farcry at a discount price. I Enjoyed it so much, that It’s very likely I’ll buy farcy 4 at launch. Witcher 3, Day One buy, South Park SoT, was a day one buy for me…. Selling games at discounts only increases ones exposure to games (or franchises) you may not have experienced yet. And If that franchisre is ongoing, you’ll likely not mind paying full price for the next installment.
At least, that’s how I See it.
AfroSaxon
June 20, 2014 at 11:23
Personally I cannot afford R400+ for a game, so I wait for the sale’s, and get my value for the little money I earn, also I try make the most of every game I get, so “no” loss in value imho.
Dutch Matrix
June 20, 2014 at 11:31
At least you are not turning to piracy…
AfroSaxon
June 20, 2014 at 11:34
To be honest with the advent of Steam sale’s, humble bundles and just being patient and waiting for the price to drop in retail stores, I find myself being able to enjoy way more games for my bucks.
Jonah Cash
June 20, 2014 at 11:23
I am currently playing Trine 2: The complete story and it is huge!! I have played it for many an hour and don’t think I am anywhere near the end!! I got it on my PS4 for free, but after about 10 hours in I would have been happy to pay R450 for the game….
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:26
Dude. With you on that. Trine 1 and 2 is some seriously epic indie gaming. Have already replayed it myself. But I bought the CE of the game, in hard copy, with artbook and all.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:27
I think it’s closer to 20 hours with the Goblin DLC. That’s one of the best games I played last year.
Jonah Cash
June 20, 2014 at 11:31
The Goblin DLC was given with the game, but it really is a good game. I haven’t had to think about puzzles this long for ages, the only other game in the last 5 years that has really made me think my ass off was The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. They had some serious puzzles in that game, I played for hours trying to get them right then I would go do something else and would come back to try it again…. Like the first time I played Resident Evil 2, it took my months to finish that game and it was the only game I owned!!
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 12:58
That fucking goblin boss fight took me forever! Had like 10+ attempts. Kept failing at the last minute! But the victory was oh so sweet in the end!
Kensei Seraph
June 20, 2014 at 11:31
Trine is $9.99 on Steam without discounts.
Trine 2: Complete Story is $19.99 on Steam without discounts.
After comparing the relative value of these to a AAA game like Battlefield 4, which is R499.99 on Origin what would you honestly say Battlefield 4’s value is?
Jonah Cash
June 20, 2014 at 11:32
R5.50 + VAT….. Is that applicable yet??? Not a fan of the big FPS games that comes out every year so their value to me is below R0!! But Destiny on the other hand that will be supported for 10 years, now that feels like an investment in my gaming future!!
MrChinwag
June 20, 2014 at 11:38
trine 2 was Free to downlaod on the PS4.
Kuroneko
July 9, 2014 at 14:58
You must have missed because you basically can get Trine and Trine 2 for $1 along with other games 😀
Kensei Seraph
June 20, 2014 at 11:24
The thing that truly devalues games is when several truly amazing game are released but aren’t sold at a price worthy of that game.
This causes other less impressive games sold at higher prices to have a lower apparent value.
derp
June 20, 2014 at 11:29
I think sales are fantastic for catching up on older games that might have been missed when they were released, these games usually are slightly devalued from their age. (Though I find it hard to devalue games like KOTOR 1&2)
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:30
KOTOR!
Kensei Seraph
June 20, 2014 at 11:32
Never played KOTOR 1 but I’d say the value of KOTOR 2 is easily R150.00 even today.
Kromas
June 20, 2014 at 11:34
I place value on time. A $1 game that has me fixated for 20 hours is worth more than a $50 game that I played for about 4 hours (looking at you watchdogs you son of a … ahem) But I digress.SP games may have a shorter lenght but if it was gripping enough in story all is good.
So to recap. FTL=AWESOME,Watchdogs = wait for a sale.
Jonah Cash
June 20, 2014 at 11:36
You only played the Dogs for 4 hours? You finished it or got bored and moved on?
I love Watch Dogs, I have played more than 15 hours and is only now coming to Act 3 I think!! Opinions on games is like opinions on what bakkie is the best: We all know that the new Ranger is king right?
Kromas
June 20, 2014 at 11:37
Crash crash crash … stable for a bit … crash …. were the hell is all my saves??!!! F THIS GAME ILL GO PLAY DAYZ!
Jonah Cash
June 20, 2014 at 11:38
Oh yes PC problems, I hear you!! That would have made me very angry indeed!! But on the PS4 it really is a cool game, I am enjoying it even more than what I expected!!
Kromas
June 20, 2014 at 11:40
Sad to say I can handle a hell of a lot but when you screw with my progress I drop you like a bad cheese. One of the reasons I never finished skyrim.
Kensei Seraph
June 20, 2014 at 11:48
Agreed.
For me I have a not so simple formula.
When I was a kid a R300 PC game would usually be able to keep me entertained for about a month (approximately 144 hours).
I now apply that to any potential purchase I make.
If a game will only entertain me for 4 hours then it should cost me about R10.
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:51
So FTL should be worth around a grand for Admiral Chief
But yes. That’s reasonable, however, slightly dependent on the type of game.
Kromas
June 20, 2014 at 11:52
More so cause that free expansion should have been another grand.
Edit: If they ever mention kickstarter Ill immediately drop money on their table without even knowing what they are making. FTL was that awesome.
Kensei Seraph
June 20, 2014 at 12:09
Nah, an expansion of that size should be about half the cost of the original game.
1,5 grand for the Admiral.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 11:37
I don’t think so hey. We all joke about our massive backlogs but if I look at my steam account:
26 Games in total:
5 F2P MMo’s
1 I haven’t touched (But is just the free Sniper challenge portion of Hitman Absolution)
12 Finished
3 are unfinishable (Such as FTL or Reus which you play over and over and always have something different)
5 unfinished due to various reasons: Didn’t enjoy, currently still playing etc;
Those 5 are split as follows:
Sleeping Dogs: Recently acquired – Still playing
Sonic 4 – Was good for a bit but ultimately not enjoyable.
Bastion – Lost interest near the end
Fez – My wife plays this mostly.
Arma 2 – only got this for DayZ
So there are 5 “backlog games” and only 2 of them were a “waste to buy” (Bastion and Sonic 4) and both of those I am pretty close to finishing anyway. So not a complete waste.
Most of my games I buy on special. So have I devalued the games by getting them on special? No. I didn’t get them at launch because I refuse to buy half finished products and my cash flow for gaming is very limited due to life in general.
So specials are often the only way I can get games to enjoy my hobby.
Now I’m not saying that everyone is the same and you do get compulsive buyers who have to buy all the specials and so devalue it for themselves. But these people would either buy on special or pirate it. I think that by having specials they get a potential sale they never would have had.
Also a publisher wouldn’t allow their game to go on special if they haven’t already gotten the money they needed to make a profit from said game.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Now if you’ll excuse me.. I need to take another selfie!
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:39
lol @ Bastion. I was playing it then got distracted, came back to it about a year later… played for 5 minutes before finishing it. Man was I annoyed.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 11:40
I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what’s going to happen to me man. I’m very sure I’m close to the end
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:47
Btw, the Sniper challenge is a pretty fun diversion for a couple of hours.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 12:00
Mine refuses to run. Keeps throwing out DirectX errors. However Absolution works just fine. It’s a bit odd
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:40
No more selfies!!!!!
Not without me in it, at least.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:41
That’s a bit selfishie
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:41
Oooohhhh!
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 11:42
But then it isn’t a selfie. Then it’s a… a groupy? I guess?
Kensei Seraph
June 20, 2014 at 11:43
Probably just a selfie with other people in it.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 11:44
Or an epic selfie photobomb!
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:45
Hmmm. Either way. Burn the selfie takers!!!
Alex Hicks
June 20, 2014 at 12:31
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha 26 games …. *ppfffffttttt* hahahahahahaha.
That’s the problem right there … I have 67 and I’m small-time. (although some of that is included DLC which pitches up as a new game). I can’t even do that analysis because reasons.
But I know of a few that I will never finish because they’re crap (Duke Nukem Forever – I’m looking at you … even at 90% off it was a bad buy); some I’ll never finish because I didn’t get hooked (Bioshock Infinite, and I have no idea why – go ahead and judge me); some I won’t even start because I don’t have time and they were part of a bundle (Humble Bundle you bastard) a few I will get to some time when I have the courage (Witcher 1 and your boring first part) and the rest that I’ve finished.
Back to the sale thing – I buy on sale a lot because I was burned a few times (I’m a slow learner) and the predictability of a steam sale; or GOG sale (haven’t even added that backlog) means I don’t have to be burned again.
Maybe if the developers released games that worked out the box like in the 90’s I would think differently.
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 12:33
120 and I’m also not one of the bigger ones out there.
And I’ve played 75% of my games.
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 13:10
Also got like 64. And about 5 of those are all the Civs I got with Civ5, which I will never play, ever. I need to check my stats as well!
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 13:50
OK so I was bored and got the stats. The situation is worse than initially thought… I have 63 unique games. 38 of those are SP and can be completed, not like Civ that you can play over and over. Of that 38 I have completed 18…that gives a 47% completion rate. And this isn’t even counting ME1,2,3 on Origin.
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 13:08
Bioshock Infinite!? And here I thought you were cool. Play it till the end, push through the mundain run n gun barrier. That ending is pretty fucking amazing! One of those games that make you think about life.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 13:15
Dat Burial at Sea Episode 2 O_O
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 13:17
I KNOW, RIGHT?!
Alex Hicks
June 20, 2014 at 13:15
So everyone tells me.
You see my issue is that I can play for about 2 hours every second or third day. That’s pretty limited (well compared to varsity when I basically worked for that period of time and gamed the rest). So I tend to only play that which has really got me. Is really fun.
Plus I’m shallow. So recently those 2 hours are spent playing Battlefield. I’ll get bored of that eventually – but then I need to drag myself back into Witcher 1; or should I do Bioshock Infinite? Should I have another go at Fallout New Vegas? Should I try finish up Absolution? Dammit – still have to buy and play Black Flag … by the time I’m done there Unity will be out and on the wishlist – hell maybe even discounted. Then there’s Witcher 3. Or …
Basically – too much of the awesome and too little of the time. I don’t know if I have the time to push through a section because of some tantalising reward sitting just out of reach.
Edit: Oh. and Fuck you – I am cool. Like a damn fridge. I’m so cool you could keep a side of beef in me for a week. I’m so hip I have trouble seeing over my pelvis.
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 13:28
hahahaha! omw that had me laughing! Also, there is a that’s what she said joke in there somewhere.
I totally agree man. I dont even have a family of my own and I barely get time to game! 1-2 hours max on a day. And that will all go to shit once I move in with the gf at the end of the month. I will be forced to jam Clash of Clans on my phone while we watch a movie (dont get me wrong that game is awesome).
My problem is I probably have enough time to play games, but there are other things I like doing as well like playing guitar and reading and going on wine tours.
Alex Hicks
June 20, 2014 at 13:37
Yep. I get you. It’s like I always said. Gaming is good; but we’re still mammals with a need to breed and the technology to make sex for pleasure a reality 😉
Add in our ridiculously long growing cycle until the spawn are old enough to take care of themselves and you’ve got a whole lot less time than you should have …
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 13:12
And that is my exact point. I refuse to be burned which is why I mostly buy on sales.
And you may laugh at my small library of games but my point is I am specific about what I buy and I know I’m not the only one. I choose my games very specifically and also I generally used to buy physical games. it’s only recently I started going digital and that’s simply because I get better specials on digital content.
But yes, your reason for being scared of being burned is the same as mine
Alex Hicks
June 20, 2014 at 13:23
Yeah – my worst story (and it stuck with me since this happened in ’94) was with a game called “Death Gate” based on the stories by Weiss and Hickman (piss off … I liked bubblegum fantasy then). Saw that in a store for a premium price of R400. Which back then was pretty steep – hell it’s pretty steep now.
I had been saving for a bit and decided I needed to spoil myself so I bought it. Finished it in two days and it was so far from the story it hurt.
Similar story with Star Control 3 – although a buddy bought that. We’d loved SC2 and so SC3 had to be good – right? Wrong.
*sigh*
Nowadays it’s all about the unfinished product being rushed out with a day 1 patch or broken servers or some such rubbish.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 13:55
Agreed man. The one that will probably stick with me the longest will be Diablo 3 and what a mess that was for over a year.
I am so tired of games coming out and just being sub par. I mean look at the issues Watch Dogs had and that was meant to be THE game of the year kind of thing.
So yeah. No day 1. Ever
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 11:40
Oigh… This is a very difficult question, probably because it can’t be quantified with a single step answer…But here is my attempt:
With regards to Steam sales, by the time that a Steam sale takes place, the game in “investment value” has fallen, imagine, if you will a Pagani Zonda being sold as a 2012 model, brand new vs a 2014 model also brand new, the “older” one is still brand new but the value has fallen simply because of newer later models being released, more of them etc. the Zonda is an amazing car, whether you have the older or newer version, you’ll still be prying yourself from the drivers’ seat after driving to your favourite petrol station and back…but the market devalued it, you see… not the car in itself, same goes for gaming, simple example would be Borderlands 2 I bought the game at full price – and it was worth every penny – but a few weeks later a friend of mine bought it for 33% of the price, thing is, by that time all of the developers have made their kachings and bought their 2014 Zondas, visited many brothels and now live in mantions, but the games’ value financially dropped, the value didn’t, the “fun factor” is still there….
Now on to the second part…
If games by big developers get over hyped and over marketed, the whole industry suffers, simply because reviews weren’t as good as we’d hoped and finally the game wasn’t…this then devalues the game, in essence crappy game at full price, leave it… whereas if you take same game a year later and buy it on the sale, paying 80% off makes much more sense, essentially you get what you pay for(not in the case of Rambo the video game, if it were given away freely, you’d have to charge the developer with a consultation fee for wasting your time).
So in conclusion, they don’t devalue crappy titles…
My apologies for the long post… where is my potato…
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 11:42
Woah… This is actually a pretty good analogy… Well done man. Have an upvote.
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 11:51
Thanks man! I actually wanted to add that the sales also allowed for better consumer choice at lower prices, but the thought at that point escaped me and my coffee was calling…speaking of which, has anyone plyed Toxic Bunny?
Travis Bulford
June 20, 2014 at 11:54
Hmmm coffee.. Glad you still link Toxic Bunny and coffee 🙂 I know we do.
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 13:18
It’s Still Awesome!!!! I remember playing the game on my old PC for days on end, then someone managed to slyly thieve it from me, good thing you guys did the HD remake hey! Love it!
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 12:00
Not yet hey. Still want to
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:42
Yes
Monado
June 20, 2014 at 11:56
Respect
Alex Hicks
June 20, 2014 at 12:12
I think the question asked here is more this (and it’s from a debate on the tweeter which Geoff was involved in): there seems to be a culture of “I’m not going to buy a game now because I KNOW there will be a sale in a few months; and I KNOW the game (for AAA) will come down by 75% at some point in the future”. This may lead to less day one purchases which damages the cash flow of the developers. It could also lead to a few more sales, long term – but how can we measure that?
To use the car analogy – the thought here is that the 2012 Zonda sold less units that it should have because buyers knew that a new version would come out and so waited for the price drop.
This is a consequence of the frequency of the sales and the predictability of the sales cycle. Not the sale itself.
Mossel
June 20, 2014 at 12:54
That makes a lot of sense. Would love to see some real time figures and stats to show these findings!
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 13:01
Yep! You are 100% correct! There is also a law of averages that comes into play, the usual bell graph kind of thing, where you’ll have a trail of pre order sales leading up and into the release date sales figures, with a trail of uhm…(casual day buyers?) maybe if we can call them that, basically after the hype has worn off, and all the peanuts for the first month have been counted, you’ll see the trail run to a lower level, for arguments sake 1 sale a month, with the Steam Sale you’ll then have a discounted, less financially lucrative addition to the sales from a publishers viewpoint, but this could also be almost at the end of the products’ life cycle, which means, all dev costs have been covered and anything else coming in would be straight profit, as little as it might be… This would also be the prime spot for the patient gamer to fall in and contribute to the lower cost but higher volume of sales, as it would be an absolute bargain at this point – I’m sure that this is the part where most of us will eventually end, bearing in mind the question is the original cost price of a game worth it if you can wait, let’s say 8 months, for it to be dirt cheap/next to nothing. So to answer that question, yes, depending on how many people would then rather wait than pay up front, it would devalue the game, and yes, I wish I could have it in figures, that would be quite interesting.
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 11:44
Shortest answer:
No it doesn’t devalue a game because you can’t keep games at full price forever.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 20, 2014 at 11:45
tl;dr
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 11:46
LOL
Greylingad
June 20, 2014 at 11:47
This^^
Sir Rants A Lot Llew. Jelly!!!
June 20, 2014 at 12:01
GG. Epic troll is epic 😛
ToshZA
June 20, 2014 at 12:13
Nope.
Brady miaau
June 20, 2014 at 12:33
winner comment
Tom Krager
June 20, 2014 at 12:26
care less about the games? Huh? That doesn’t even make sense. Gamers don’t enjoy or not enjoy games based on how much they bought them for. I’m not going to enjoy Xcom anymore because I bought it for 4 dollars more off sale. Shit man .. . you telling me Farcry 3 isn’t worth anything? ITs on sale for 8 bucks and guess what! I bought it very happily knowing it was a good deal. Fuck this Blogger.
Axon1988
June 20, 2014 at 12:30
Bank phoned me. Got a new credit card, got screwed over by bank. Bank apologized and said they will fix it. However until the 27th I cannot use my credit card. 🙁 SADFACE
Axon1988
June 20, 2014 at 12:30
Though considering that… It’s not like I do have money.
Sith JJ
June 20, 2014 at 12:32
Try PayPal & Debit Card.
Axon1988
June 20, 2014 at 12:48
What if the bank is Absa?
WhiteRock
June 20, 2014 at 13:25
For me it comes back to the old marketing / sales question: sell a few objects at a premium or sell a lot at a reduced price? In both cases the chances are good you are going to make your money back, as long as you offer a decent product, so my question there is – what is the developer’s goal?. Also, my habits have seriously changed since the first steam sale from “BUY BUY BUY” to “Do Proper Reaserch so I can pick up some gems with the little cash I have”. In both cases, however, at the original price I would never have been able to buy those games…
Alex Hicks
June 20, 2014 at 13:32
Reading this and the comments has got me thinking – which is dangerous and also hard for someone of my advanced years.
Salient points:
1. Frequency and predictability of sales has possibly enhanced the “wait and get it cheaper” instincts of the modern consumer
2. The consumer has less money to spend on entertainment due to increased costs of living
3. The developers have abused their audience by releasing broken games with draconian DRM that doesn’t work
4. Development costs have increased leading to the acknowledgement that developers need to shift more than they used to in order to make profit. Sales and digital content distribution increase the length of the tail in the sales distribution chart
5. Indie developers are reliant on “free” marketing from the sales
The extent to which these factors and points interact with each other is as yet unknown and a major source of debate.
In conclusion – great topic.
Unavengedavo
June 20, 2014 at 13:34
To me it means I can get the game legally for fairly cheap. And then it takes away the urge to pirate.
The only reason I have a backlog is because of my few years spent/wasted on WoW and the fact that I don’t have a PC anymore
BacchusZA
June 20, 2014 at 14:40
It can go both ways.
I won’t likely ever buy a Ubisoft title again, at least on PC, unless it’s heavily discounted. And yes, that includes Watchdogs and probably the Division too. That’s mostly due to a truly shit experience with previous Ubi titles that’ve been ported to PC (here’s glowering at you, Future Soldier…), and their execrable excuse for a front end (fuck you very much uPlay, sonder lube of dop) rather than the price they retail for at release.
But I’m not going to lie & say that R650+ for a game doesn’t make my eyes water a bit, and genuinely puts me off buying games at release, because I know that at some point fairly soon there’ll be a sale where I can get it cheaper.So there you have the case for the discounts being a powerful argument for NOT buying a game you otherwise would have, or at least not at full price.
On the flip side you get what happened to me last night, where I was browsing Steam, looking at the “Under $10!” section, and that Eurotruck sim package caught my eye.
Yeah, frakking EURO TRUCK.
And I bought it,
Because A: I’d seen a youtube clip demonstrating how well it worked with an Oculus Rift, and it actually looked pretty damn cool, and B: hey, under $10!, why the hell not? That’s a cheap bottle of whiskey, & the game will last at least as long as one of those would.
So there you have the argument that if it wasn’t for the discount, I’d never have even thought about buying that title, so the dev & publisher have made at least SOME money on their product, that they otherwise wouldn’t have.
Gerard Matthews
June 20, 2014 at 22:28
Games are overpriced on digital stores in the first place. So no.
Sir Faulty
June 23, 2014 at 11:23
Thanks to those Steam sales I have a backlog of about 1200 games and yet I continue to splurge onward. I am like coke whore in search of a fix! Although I have been pretty reserved this summer sale due to the fact I actually own all the games going into deep discount territory.
I have picked up and indie or two or three or four or fifteen which have now been added to that impossible backlog of games of which half will probably never get played.
Kuroneko
July 9, 2014 at 14:56
Oh great. I remember GOG was saying that deep discounts like 75% and 80% devalues games but with the recent Summer sale you can basically get Witcher 2 at 75%. These gog people are weird and funny.